Travel Tips

Travel Tip: New Guidelines On Skin Protection

We’ve all gotten the memo about protecting our skin from sun exposure, but did you know the FDA has implemented even more regulations?

Here’s what you need to know: The new FDA guidelines will go into effect next year, but the bottom line is that sunscreen manufacturers will have to be more transparent about their claims.

There are two types of ultraviolet rays, UVA and UVB. Sunburns are primarily caused by UVB, but both can cause cancer and early signs of aging.

According to the guidelines, only sunscreens that protect against both can be labeled as “broad spectrum.”

As for “waterproof” or “sweat proof” labels – these are misleading terms.

The new rules will only allow products to advertise how long the product is water resistant.

But here’s my advice no matter what: After getting in the water or sweating, put on a new layer of sunscreen…regardless of what the bottle says.

And don’t bother going too high with the SPF.

Turns out there’s no data showing that anything labeled higher than 50 is any more effective.

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